McClellan Statement on Trump’s Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education, Undoing Decades of Progress for Public Education

Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order effectively dismantling the Department of Education:

“As a mother of two children in public schools, I know that every parent wants to ensure their child is safe in school and learning what they need to succeed. As the daughter of educators who grew up in the Jim Crow South, I know that not every child has received the education they deserve. As a former state legislator with 18 years in the General Assembly, I know that states and localities struggle to provide what every child needs to learn and succeed.

“The Department of Education was created to help fill these gaps in state and local support for public schools.

“Although we have more work to do, Trump’s actions will erase the important progress we have made in ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed. Trump’s actions will affect every community in America, but more children with disabilities and those in rural and low-income communities will slip through the cracks.

“Education is the key to individual opportunity and a thriving health economy, communities, and democracy. Democrats will fight to defend every child’s right to reach their full potential, no matter who they are or where they live.

“This decision is a step backwards, an affront to everything my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents fought for, and a blatant attempt to raid support for teachers and students to give tax breaks to billionaires.”

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